Deal includes some of the band’s most legendary hits

Primary Wave Music has finalized an agreement to acquire a stake in the music catalog of the legendary singer Joey Ramone. Ramone was lead singer and co-founder of the iconic New York City band the Ramones who debuted in 1974 and would go on to become one of the most important bands in punk rock music. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but include non-exclusive rights to license Joey Ramone’s name and likeness, as well as income for songs across the band’s repertoire of music.

Included in this exciting deal are some of the Ramones’ most well-known and biggest hits such as “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio,” “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker,” and “I Wanna Be Sedated.” Also included is the band’s highest charting single, “Rockaway Beach.”

“I’m happy to welcome Primary Wave as partners in my brother’s interests in Ramones,” shares Joey’s brother and sole heir, Mitchel Hyman. “I’m thoroughly convinced of their eagerness to perpetuate his legacy, and their sincerity about doing it in a way that will never compromise his credibility. I, very much, am looking forward to working with them.”

“Joey Ramone was a total original — his songwriting, style, and voice are all undeniably unique and immediately recognizable still today,” states Lexi Todd, VP, Business Affairs & Legal at Primary Wave Music. “A counterculture icon and prime mover of punk rock, Ramones demonstrated first-hand the power of music in influencing culture and built a foundation that has influenced decades of musicians. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the legacy of Joey Ramone and Ramones catalog.”

Jeffrey Ross Hyman, known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, singer-songwriter, and lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Ramones. Ramone’s image, voice, and performances as frontman of Ramones makes him a cultural and international icon.

Born on May 19, 1951, New York City, Hyman Ramone grew up in the Forest Hills section of Queens, where he and his future Ramones bandmates attended Forest Hills High School. Joey began listening to rock ‘n roll music on his transistor radio in the early 60’s. He became a huge fan of the Phil Spector-produced “girl groups” which led the way to The Beatles, The Who, and The Stooges. His idol was Pete Townshend of The Who.

Hyman took up the drums at 13 and played them throughout his teen years before picking up an acoustic guitar at age 17. In 1974, Jeffrey Hyman founded the punk rock band Ramones with friends John Cummings and Douglas Colvin. Colvin was already using the pseudonym Dee Dee Ramone and the others also adopted stage names using Ramone as their surname: Cummings became Johnny Ramone and Hyman became Joey Ramone. The name Ramone stems from Paul McCartney: he briefly used the stage name Paul Ramon during 1960/1961, when the Beatles, still an unknown five-piece band called the Silver Beetles, did a tour of Scotland and all took up pseudonyms.

Joey initially served as the group’s drummer while Dee Dee Ramone was the original vocalist. However, when Dee Dee’s vocal cords proved unable to sustain the demands of consistent live performances, their friend Thomas Erdelyi suggested Joey switch to vocals. After a series of unsuccessful auditions in search of a new drummer, Erdelyi took over on drums, assuming the name Tommy Ramone. Joey’s signature cracks, hiccups, snarls, crooning, and youthful voice made his one of punk rock’s most recognizable voices.

Ramones were a major influence on the punk rock movement in the United States. Their only record to be certified Gold was the compilation album Ramones Mania, until 2014 when their debut album, Ramones, was also certified Gold by the RIAA. Recognition of the band’s importance built over the years, and they are now regularly represented in many assessments of all-time great rock music, such as the Rolling Stone lists of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and 25 Greatest Live Albums of All Time, VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, and Mojo’s 100 Greatest Albums.

In 2002, the Ramones were voted the second greatest rock and roll band ever in Spin, trailing only the Beatles. In 1996, the band played their final show and then disbanded. Joey Ramone died of lymphoma at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on April 15, 2001, a month before he would have turned 50. In 2001, the Ramones were named as inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.